Do Virgin use ntl's network?

[badnbusy]

Looking at my webstats today, there are several visits from:

1. client-82-2-xx-xx.brnt.adsl.virgin.net
2. client-82-3-xxx-xxx.glfd.adsl.virgin.net

etc...

Now i would have just thought these were ppl on Virgins ADSL service...but...

My webstats also said they were using a proxy:

The first client was on no proxy, but the second client was using proxy 62.252.0.7. - One of ntl's.

This is were i investigated more..

A lookup on both clients hostnames/IP's shows this:

client-82-2-xx-xxx.brnt.adsl.virgin.net (82.2.xx.xxx) 

82.2.48.0 - 82.2.63.255
NTL Infrastructure - Brentford

and

client-82-3-xxx-xxx.glfd.adsl.virgin.net (82.3.xxx.xxx) 

82.3.224.0 - 82.3.255.255
NTL Infrastructure - Guildford

Whats the deal?

Yes, Virgin are a "virtual" ISP that use NTL's network.

[badnbusy]

Is this an ADSL virtual ISP or just reselling ntl's cable modem? (And if the ntl network cant cope on its own, why lease it out to AOL and Virgin etc to resell)

Originally Posted by badnbusy

Is this an ADSL virtual ISP or just reselling ntl's cable modem? (And if the ntl network cant cope on its own, why lease it out to AOL and Virgin etc to resell)

It is nothing to do with cable modems - the only reseller of NTL CM's is AOL (for their 600k service).

The NTL core network can cope quite happily and is well underused.

NTL's network problems are the local connections onto their core network (i.e CM > UBR). Once you get past this onto the actual network their are no real problems (well, apart from the cache/mail/news servers, but they are not the "network")

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by badnbusy

Is this an ADSL virtual ISP or just reselling ntl's cable modem? (And if the ntl network cant cope on its own, why lease it out to AOL and Virgin etc to resell)

Virgin.net is targetted at BT customers - hence ADSL or unlimited dialup on BT. I believe, however, you can use the Virgin.net pay-as-you-go dialup on a NTL line, but that is all.